100,000 Airplanes
BARTLET THINKS BIG FOR STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS; MARY-LOUISE PARKER, MARLEE MATLIN GUEST-STAR -- While the staff furiously labors over the President's crucial State of the Union speech, Bartlet suddenly demands to include a passage that ambitiously promises a crusade to cure cancer within 10 years while Sam (Rob Lowe) is interviewed for a Vanity Fair profile by a woman (as Lisa, guest star Traylor Howard) whom once was his fiancée. A lovestruck Josh (Bradley Whitford) brashly informs a prominent women's rights leader (guest star Mary Louise Parker, "Fried Green Tomatoes") that her budding romance with a Congressman is solely a product of political machinations. Elsewhere, pollster Joey Lucas (guest star Marlee Matlin) studies the sampled responses to the Chief Executive's speech. Summary Cast :Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn :Dulé Hill as Charlie Young :Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg :Janel Moloney as Donna Moss :Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler :John Spencer as Leo McGarry :Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman :and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet Special Guest Stars :Mary-Louise Parker as Amy Gardner :and Marlee Matlin as Joey Lucas Guest Starring :Traylor Howard as Lisa Sherborne :Bill O'Brien as Kenny Thurman :Nancy Linehan Charles as Oncologist #1 :Howard S. Miller as Ken Walker :Nicholas Hormann as Bobby :Brian Baker as John Tandy :Charles Walker as Oncologist #3 Co-Starring :Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol :Kim Webster as Ginger :Peter James Smith as Ed :William Duffy as Larry :Marcus Eley as Bartender Uncredited :Lionel D. Carson as Tommy Quotes :Sam Seaborn: We nearly had one almost as big. :Lisa Sherborne: What? :Sam Seaborn: ' I said, we nearly had one almost as big. :'Lisa Sherborne: What was it? :Sam Seaborn: We almost cured cancer. :C.J. Cregg: ' Is the reason you two didn't get married is because her name would have been Lisa Sherborne Seaborn? :'Sam Seaborn: Yeah, that's the reason. :C.J. Cregg: I could do this for a living. Trivia ERRORS *When Sam is explaining to Lisa where the focus groups for the State of the Union speech are located, he incorrectly pronounces Los Feliz, CA as "Las Filez", CA. However this is an acceptable (and even preferred) pronunciation in Southern California. *Toby says there are 173 words in the Ten Commandments. Common English translations have it at about 310 words, while the Hebrew he is familiar with sits at 99. Toby might be referring to an overly abbreviated version, but it is likely that Sorkin just went with an accurate sounding number. *In the scene in Sam's office before he reads the discarded speech about cancer, he calls Lisa Sherborne "Louise" *Some DVD versions call this episode "100 AIRPLANES" on the insert, obviously a typo. CULTURAL REFERENCES * The Gettysburg Address * Ten Commandments Related ;Other State of the Union episodes * He Shall, from Time to Time... (Season 1) * Bartlet's Third State of the Union (Season 2) * The Benign Prerogative (Season 5) * 365 Days (Season 6) Links *100,000 Airplanes on IMDb *Transcript on The West Wing Transcripts *100,000 Airplanes on "The West Wing" Unofficial Continuity Guide References Category:Episodes Category:Season 3